


Trade Mistakes

by flightlesscrow



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Countries Using Human Names, Heavy Angst, M/M, background ameripan - Freeform, china and russia dont have big roles, everyone is sad, mentions of 9/11, russia is spains boss jsyk
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-05
Updated: 2016-08-05
Packaged: 2018-07-29 11:54:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,312
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7683523
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flightlesscrow/pseuds/flightlesscrow
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Antonio and Arthur have a huge fallout that leads to major issues for Arthur.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Trade Mistakes

Arthur and Antonio were at the latter's apartment for their weekly movie night. This week, it was Arthur’s turn to pick the movie. He did just that while Antonio used the bathroom to avoid going during the movie. Arthur briefly scanned his movie collection. None of the movies were actually his. They were Alfred’s. The overexcitable American lent a bunch of movies to Arthur when he mentioned that he hadn’t seen many American-made movies, and Arthur’s never watched any of them except for the ones he picked while Antonio was here. Even then, he barely payed attention to them. He randomly selected one called _United 93_ and popped it into the disk player.

Antonio came back from the bathroom after Arthur had set the DVD case back in it’s spot. Antonio went into Arthur’s kitchen to bring the big bowls of popcorn that they had made into the living room. He set them down on Arthur’s coffee table and sat beside Arthur, giving him a quick kiss and opening his arms so Arthur could lean into him. This was something they did every movie night.

They watched the previews together, recognizing some of the titles that came out a few years ago.

“You must’ve picked an old movie, Arthur, some of these came out around ten years ago,” Antonio said.

“Guess so,” Arthur replied, sinking further into Antonio’s warm embrace. That, in all honesty, was his favorite part about Movie Night.

“What was it?” Antonio asked the blonde, who shrugged in reply and claimed he forgot. Which, he really _did_ forget. He hadn’t been paying too much attention when picking the movie.

After countless previews, the play screen appeared on screen. Arthur was about to lean over to grab the remote when he felt Antonio stiffen beside him.

“Antonio?” Arthur started, looking at Antonio’s face. What was once a smile was now a look of utter terror. “Love, what’s wro-” Arthur could not finish his statement before Antonio pushed him away and scrambled to get out of the room.

“Antonio!” Arthur ran after him, finding him putting on his coat and shoes by the door of the apartment. Arthur felt a chill run through him.

“What’s wrong? Where are you-” Arthur was cut off once more.

“Don’t talk to me. I hate you, I seriously fucking hate you.” Antonio snarled, turning his head to glare at the blonde standing behind him.

“What? I don’t-” Antonio made a move to leave, but Arthur grabbed his arm to hold him back. “I don't understand… what’s wrong? What did I do?” Arthur tried to talk to Antonio, but Antonio glared at him some more and tried to wrestle his arm out of Arthur’s grip.

“Let go of me.” Antonio said coldly. Arthur shook his head and tried to reason with Antonio again, while tightening his grip on Antonio’s arm.

“W-we can talk about this, r-right? Please?” Arthur tried not to stumble over his words, but he could feel the tears welling up in his eyes, threatening to spill over. “Please…” He whispered. He hung his head and looked down at his pale hand wrapped around Antonio’s tan arm. A single teardrop splashed against their skin.

“I said, ‘let go!’” Antonio yelled, startling Arthur. Antonio never yelled at him. Antonio wrenched his arm out of Arthur’s hand and turned to him, pure ice in his usually warm green eyes. Arthur took a step forward and tried to reach out for Antonio once more. Antonio pushed him away, watching as Arthur stumbled backwards and landed on the floor. There’s silence for a moment, then Arthur started crying as he looked up at Antonio’s face. He failed to understand what he had done to make his lover look at him that way. Pure hatred and disgust was clear on the features of Antonio’s face. Antonio, who was usually smiling, was looking at Arthur with a look that Arthur had never seen come from Antonio. One that Arthur had seen as a child, but never fully understood until his adult years.

Arthur began to plead for Antonio to stay, to talk to him, to explain what he had done so he can fix it, anything to try and get the Spaniard to stay. It was a fruitless effort, though, when he heard Antonio begin to speak.

“Stay away from me. I want nothing more to do with you. I don’t want to see you in my sights ever again, because if I do, I might try to knock your teeth out. So stay the fuck away.” Antonio seethed, he turned his back on the crying blonde on the floor and made his way to the door. He heard Arthur stumble while getting up, heard him call his name once more, but ultimately slammed the door in Arthur’s face. He wouldn’t give him the time of day.

Arthur stood in stunned silence on the other side, unaware of the emotional turmoil going through the other man’s head. All he could see was the utter look of hatred and disgust that Antonio had given him. All he could see were those cold, hate-filled eyes, and their glare that ripped his heart to shreds. He wondered what he did to make the person he loved most in the world treat him like that. He wondered if maybe, Antonio had always felt that way about him, and was now truly letting it show. Another part of him said that wasn’t the case, but he couldn’t listen to that side, not when his brain decided to replay the events of the night in vivid detail.

Arthur cried harder, slamming his fists against his front door, choking out Antonio’s name through strangled sobs, begging him to come back. He knew Antonio couldn’t hear him, but he tried anyways. He screamed out for Antonio, wanting him back in the apartment, still asking him to explain what Arthur had done, despite knowing that Antonio wasn’t anywhere near Arthur’s apartment anymore.

Only when Arthur’s fists were stinging and red did he stop hitting his door. He turned his back on the painted slab of wood and slid down it until he was sitting on the floor. He put his head in his hands and sobbed, letting the tears slide through his fingertips. He screamed Antonio’s name, begged him to come back, like he had done since Antonio slammed the door to both Arthur’s apartment and their relationship. His cries and shouts were so loud that his neighbors threatened to call the cops. It was late and people were trying to sleep, but Arthur didn’t care. He couldn’t care, not when what had given his whole life meaning had walked away from him.

By the time Arthur had cried himself dry and had made his voice hoarse from screaming, it was nearing six in the morning. He decided to just stay up and get ready for work, so that’s what he did. He slowly showered, got dressed, made tea, and left his house. He arrived at work at seven. Work didn’t start until eight. It was the first time Arthur’s been this early.

The doors were unlocked, so he went to set his things in his office before heading down to see his boss, Yao, to get his work for today.

“Arthur! You’re early, I didn’t expect to see you until later.” Yao handed Arthur his paperwork for today as he made his comment. Arthur laughed, though it sounded hollow.

“Yes, well, I woke up early and had nothing else to do but come here.” Arthur lied. He felt Yao’s scrutinizing gaze on him, and began to get nervous, but he smiled. It seemed to please his boss.

“Alright then. Please have this done by 5 o’clock.” Yao said and dismissed Arthur. Arthur sighed silently and thanked his boss before heading into his office. He set his paperwork down and plopped down in his office chair, slinking down so he wasn’t visible if he turned his chair backwards. He spun around a few times after starting his computer, cursing it for being so slow. Nearly everyone was at the office by the time Arthur could log in to his computer. Arthur was reminded of how Antonio used to complain to Arthur about the laggy computers at his work place, and Arthur would nod and say he had them too. He remembered texting Antonio to pass the time while the computer started up, and resisted the urge to grab his phone and shoot his ex a text message.

Arthur shook his head, trying to clear it of all thoughts of Antonio, for tears had begun to prick his eyes once more. He grabbed his paperwork and sifted through it, seeing he had to type three reports and set up meetings for his boss and the boss of another company. Arthur recognized the name, Ivan Braginsky, and remembered Antonio telling Arthur about what a dick Ivan could be sometimes. Arthur gulped, pushing Antonio out of his mind once more, and set to work.

-

By lunch time, he had typed up two of the three reports, and couldn’t focus on anything but Antonio. He had let a tear roll down his face, and fought to keep down a sob. Francis opened the door to Arthur’s office as the latter wiped his face on his shirt sleeve.

“Arthur, what’s wrong? Don’t cry, it’s alright, what happened?” Francis rushed over to Arthur in concern. Arthur tried to wave him away, but to no avail. Francis was already there, pulling Arthur’s hands away from his face and forcing Arthur to look at him. Red-rimmed green eyes met soft, caring blue ones, and Arthur suppressed how disappointed he was that they weren’t Antonio’s emerald green ones. Thinking about Antonio made Arthur start crying all over again. It terrified Francis; he had never seen Arthur so upset in their entire lives. They had known each other since they were young.

“Arthur!” Francis wasn’t sure what to do, so he hugged Arthur tight. After letting go, Francis brushed Arthur’s hair out of his face. “What’s wrong, _mon copain?_ You know you can tell me anything.” Francis said, resting his hand on Arthur’s shoulder. Arthur nods absently and takes a shaky breath. Francis has learned to not expect an explanation - rarely did his friend supply one - but was pleasantly surprised when Arthur began to tell what happened.

Arthur recounted the events of last night, as painful as it was, and was in tears again by the end of it. Francis was seething.

“I just-” A broken sob tore its way out of Arthur’s throat. “I just don’t understand w-what I did…” Arthur cried onto Francis’ shoulder, making his shirt wet. Francis was nearly shaking with rage at the Spanish man for hurting his best friend this way. Francis expressed a desire to have a “few words” with Antonio, but Arthur refused, so Francis refrained from going to find Antonio.

“You didn’t do anything wrong, Arthur. I don’t know what his problem was, but he had no right to treat you in that manner. And you know that, so don’t go saying that you ‘probably did’ deserve it. I know about your self-deprecating tendencies.” Francis said this all with a stern tone. Arthur looked down at the floor instead of meeting his friend’s gaze. He may not be allowed to say what he thought, but he could still think it (much as he didn’t want to). He nodded to show he heard Francis.

Francis sighed and stood up, giving Arthur a hand in standing as well.

“Let’s get you freshened up and we can meet everyone in the cafeteria for lunch, _oui?_ ” Arthur nodded once more and followed Francis out of the room and to the bathroom. Arthur did his best to freshen up, but still scowled at his reflection in the mirror. He looked awful. Francis gave him a sad smile and led him to the cafeteria in their office building. Arthur went to sit by Alfred and Kiku while Francis got something to eat.

“Arthur, dude, you look like shit.” Alfred stated when he saw Arthur sit next to him. Kiku, who was sat across from Alfred, scolded him and smacked his hand. Alfred cried out and brought his hand up to his chest, sending a shocked look at Kiku. “What was that for?!” He asked. He got no reply.

“Gee, thanks, Al.” Arthur said sarcastically, putting his head in his hands. His eyes were sore and his head was beginning to pound. It was far too bright in the room for his liking.

“You do look rather unwell, Arthur-san.” Kiku said. “Are you alright?”

“Just peachy.” Arthur replied. Francis appeared soon after. He set a container and a spoon in front of Arthur. Arthur thanked him quietly but just stared at the container.

“Aren’t ya gonna eat that?” Alfred asked him suddenly, starting Arthur.

“Of course I am, you bloody git.” Arthur answered Alfred and took the lid off his container, finding chicken noodle soup. A smile appeared on his face as he ate the soup, as it was one of his favorites as a kid. Then he thought about how Antonio used to make it for him when he got sick, and he stopped eating again. He stared into the soup and frowned at it, as if it was causing all his problems.

“Dude.” Alfred tried to get Arthur’s attention. It had no effect. “Francis, what’s with him?” Alfred turned to the Frenchman for an explanation. Francis just shrugged in reply, though. Alfred huffed.

“Alfred-kun, Arthur-san will tell us what’s wrong if and when he’s ready to. We should refrain from pressuring him.” Kiku said, placing a small hand over Alfred’s larger one. Alfred huffed again. He waved a hand in front of Arthur’s face.

“Dude, you’ve been spacey all day, what’s the deal?” Alfred asked Arthur. He wasn’t trying to be pushy, he just wanted to know what was bothering his friend. Arthur could be a spacey person, but it was never this bad.

“Alfred!” Kiku hissed, but Alfred pretended not to hear him. He poked Arthur, and looked surprised when he finally got a reaction.

“Wanker, piss off! I’m fine.” Arthur insisted, picking up his spoon and eating his now-lukewarm soup. Alfred wasn’t convinced, but the look Kiku gave him stopped him from asking anymore questions.

“You’re gonna tell me sometime, though, if you keep acting pissy like this.” Alfred said. Arthur groaned.

“Hey, have you heard about the boss’ meeting with another corporation?” Francis asked after a bout of silence, trying to lighten the mood a bit.

“Unfortunately.” Arthur replied snarkily before he finished off his soup and stood to throw it in the trash bin.

“What the fuck’s your deal, man?” Alfred ignored Kiku’s disapproving gaze and focused on Arthur. “What’s got you so outta sorts today?”

“Maybe it’s the fact that I got dumped last night after being yelled at and I have no fucking idea what in the bloody hell I did!” Arthur yelled, taking his trash and storming to the trash bin. He left the cafeteria before anyone could even call his name.

“...What?” Alfred asked. Francis sighed and explained the whole story to Alfred and Kiku, and shooed away worried coworkers as they came to ask about Arthur.

“That fucking bastard, I’ll kill him! No one hurts Artie like that and gets away with it!” Alfred raged after Francis explained.

“No, Alfred-kun, this is not our business to get involved with. Arthur would have told us if he wanted us to know. By his actions today, I wouldn’t say that he had wanted us to know.” Kiku explained, coaxing Alfred to calm down. He went and sat in Arthur’s seat to hold onto Alfred’s arm, making sure no more outbursts would occur.

“I guess you’re right.” Alfred sighed. “I wish he wouldn’t bottle everything up though…”

“That’s just how Arthur is. He’ll be fine if we give him time and space.” Francis attempted to reassure them all.

-

When they went to check on Arthur later, his office door was locked. He unlocked it when asked, but it was clear that he had been crying. Alfred felt bad about pushing Arthur over the edge when he was in such a fragile state. He went to apologize, but Arthur dismissed it and said it was fine. Alfred rolled his eyes.

“So, why are you all here?” Arthur asked, situating himself at his desk and trying to get paperwork done.

“Arthur, it’s time to clock out. We wanted to know if you wanted to grab dinner with us.” Francis said to Arthur. Arthur shrugged.

“I’m not finished, Yao will be angry with me.” Arthur said, immersing himself in his paperwork.

“Yao won’t care if ya don’t get all your work done today! He gives you too much to do anyways. He’s never angry with me when I don’t finish!” Alfred exclaimed, trying to convince Arthur to go with them.

“Alfred-kun, that’s because Yao-san knows not to expect too much of you. It’s honestly a wonder you still have your job there…” Kiku stated quietly. Arthur heard him though, and started cracking up from the opposite side of the room.

“Keeeeeeeks! Not nice.” Alfred pouted. Kiku smiled and leaned up on his toes to give Alfred a quick kiss on the cheek and whisper an apology in his ear, leaving Alfred a blushing mess. Arthur watched on with a smile on his face. He had thought he’d be uncomfortable around his friends in a relationship, but he wasn’t, not really. Alfred and Kiku never seemed to make him uncomfortable. They just had such an easy chemistry that it seemed wrong when they were separated from one another. Arthur hoped that never happened to them. Deep down, though, he was certain it wouldn’t.

“Arthur…” The blonde heard his name whispered in his ear, and he turned his head to see Francis.

“Yes?”  
  
“Come with us. They’d like to make you feel better, if only for a few hours.” Francis tried to convince Arthur. Arthur sighed, glanced at his computer screen, and decided that if he spent any more time alone today he'd be sick. He agreed to go along with them. He said he’d meet everyone at the restaurant (he had to clear up and save everything) in about fifteen minutes. They nodded and left. Arthur noticed the concerned glance that Francis shot him before crossing over the threshold of the doorway.

“I’m not a child, I can care for myself…” Arthur muttered, but he picked up his phone while cleaning off his desk. His background was a picture of he and Antonio sleeping, their legs tangled together and with Arthur resting his head on the brunette’s chest. The picture was taken by Alfred when he got into Arthur’s apartment to ask to borrow some flour. It turned out that Arthur hadn’t had any flour. Arthur smiled sadly, resisting the urge to send Antonio a message, and put his phone in his pocket. He grabbed the things he needed and left after shutting off his computer, clocking out at the front office before leaving the entrance doors of the building.

He got inside his car and turned on the radio. A song he liked was just ending, and soon another began to play. He hadn’t been paying attention as he drove out of the parking lot and towards the restaurant, until he heard the lyrics.

“ _Look at the stars, look how they shine for you, and everything you do. They were all yellow._ ” Arthur heard the voice of Coldplay’s vocalist and had to change the station to a classical one. That song had been he and Antonio’s song; he couldn’t bear to listen to it so soon. Soon, soothing violin music poured through his car speakers, and Arthur began to relax.

He got to the restaurant and discovered that his friends were all waiting for him by the entrance.

“It’s not busy tonight, let’s go!” Alfred said, dragging everyone inside the restaurant with him. It was a burger joint. Arthur rolled his eyes, thinking about how typical it was of Alfred to choose a burger restaurant. Arthur could swear that Alfred loved burgers almost as much as he loved Kiku. That would be saying something.

“A burger restaurant? Really, Alfred?” Francis expressed his disgust. He glanced over at Arthur, who merely shrugged.

“They sell fish and chips here, so I’m good.” Arthur stated. Francis made a gagging sound.

“You’re the only one who likes that crap, _mon copain._ ”

“Am not.”  
  
“Are too.”   
  
“Am not!” 

“Are-”

“Hey, let’s go find a table!” Alfred cut the two off before their bickering could disturb everyone else. While Francis and Arthur were best friends, they’ve been in more squabbles than they could count. Not that they really cared to.

Everyone ended up getting a burger, even Arthur, who called to complain to Francis later about how the restaurant was out of fish and chips.

“Seriously? How does one run out of fish and chips? Bloody hell…” Arthur complained. Francis just laughed and told him to have a good night. Arthur wished him the same before ending the phone call and going to bed. He hoped to have a better day at work the next day.

-

That was not the case, however. Arthur’s days at work were more or less the same thing since what happened with Antonio. Crying and trying to drown his emotions in work, which never worked. He slowly began to care less and less about eating. About two weeks after the incident was when he realized that he only ever consumed tea and whatever Alfred, Kiku, and Francis would make him eat at lunch time. It was rare for him to have dinner unless Alfred and Kiku or Francis brought it over to share with him. Even so, he ate little, afraid he would not be able to stomach a full meal. Francis grew more worried as the days went on.

About four weeks after the incident was when Arthur noticed how his state of being was having a serious effect on his friends, who had been with him through it all. He decided to try and help them help him, and he worked harder to get on a regular eating schedule again and do things to improve his state of mind. It was working.

About two months after the incident occurred, Arthur was almost back to his old self. Yes, he was still lonely. Yes, he still missed Antonio like hell. No, that pain would never go away. However, Arthur was learning to live with it and get through life without Antonio by his side.

That is, until Antonio showed up at Arthur’s doorstep.

-

He had been reading a book in his sitting room when he heard the doorbell ring. _‘That’s odd,’_ he thought. _‘No one ever rang the doorbell except for Antonio…’_

He refused to let himself get his hopes up as he hurriedly closed the book and got up to answer the door.

Standing there, in the chilling November air with clothes not suitable for the cold, was Antonio Fernández Carriedo. Arthur was shocked into silence.

“ _Hola_ , Arthur…” Antonio said meekly. Arthur stared at him, not believing he was real. He had dreamed of seeing Antonio for so long, and now that he was again, he can’t believe it’s really him.

His hair had gotten longer since Arthur saw him last. He looked sadder, the usual smile and twinkle in his eye no longer present. He stood and carried himself as if he was defeated, and Arthur wasn’t sure how to feel about it.

“Um, can I come in, or… It’s kinda cold out here, Arturo.” Arthur nearly cried at hearing one of Antonio’s old pet names for him, but moved to let Antonio inside his apartment.

“I see you’ve done a lot with the place…” Antonio commented. It was a lie. Arthur’s flat looked exactly the same as the last time Antonio had been inside. Arthur nodded anyways. They took their seats on two opposite sides of the room, on two different pieces of furniture, and sat in silence. Arthur was too stunned to say anything. Antonio was too uncomfortable. He remembered how badly he had hurt Arthur in that very room, it was painful to be inside it again. Arthur stared at Antonio and Antonio looked at everything but Arthur. He noticed through the glass of the movie cabinet that there was nothing there anymore. That broke his heart further. 

“What are you doing here, Antonio..?” Arthur whispered, not believing he even knew how to form Antonio’s name with his lips anymore.

“ _Lo siento, Arturo._ I fucked up. I fucked up so bad, and I’m so sorry I did what I did instead of listening and talking to you. We could have avoided all this if I had just explained what made me upset. I’m sorry. You didn’t deserve that treatment, and I’m sorry. I was an ass, a dick, every name in the book. I’m sorry. This doesn’t excuse my actions, I know that, but I wanted you to know that I truly am sorry, Arthur.

“I never hated you. I shouldn’t have said that, or pushed you when you only wanted to help. Will… will you let me explain to you why I did what I did, though..?” Antonio asked Arthur.

"Why should I?” Arthur asked quietly. “You didn’t listen to me.”

“I know, and I’m sorry, _mi amor._ I have no reasons for why you should give me the time of day, but I will be grateful if you do.” Antonio said, bowing his head. It was quiet for a while. Antonio raised his head to look at Arthur, who he saw was close to tears already.

“Go on.” Arthur commanded.

“What?”  
  
“I said, ‘go on.’” Arthur said once more. Antonio cleared his throat and began.

“The movie you picked that night was about the events of 9/11. I thought I had already told you about what had happened, but I guess I hadn’t. At the time I thought I had, and that’s why I freaked out so bad. You see… My father was on business in New York City the day of the attack. He never came home, and we never saw him again. He was said to have died in the attack. It was a very traumatic thing for me to see on television, let alone know it claimed my dad’s life. It triggers me to see it. I thought you knew all that, but picked the movie anyways… I’m sorry to have doubted you like that.” Antonio finished speaking. A few tears rolled down Arthur’s cheeks.

“I-I had no idea… I didn’t know that, and I hadn’t even been paying attention to what I was picking out. I’m sorry, Antonio.” Arthur apologized.

“It’s not your fault, Arthur. I’m sorry for overreacting. You didn’t deserve this, any of it. The depression, tears, sadness, god, I wish I could take it all away from you… you look thinner now, even… god, Arthur, I-” Antonio had to pause as a sob shook his shoulders. “I’m so sorry. _Lo siento, lo siento, lo siento, lo siento, lo siento, mi cielo._ ”

“You really hurt me, Antonio. I accept your apology, but… but I’m not sure if I can forgive you fully yet. I understand why you did it, but it will take months to undo months of damage.” Arthur stated truthfully. He had waited for this, an opportunity to be together with his love again, but was unsure if he could do it. He took a look at Antonio, and added another bullet to his metaphorical list.

“I take it though that you fared just as rough as I did, huh, love.” Arthur smiled sadly. Antonio hesitated before nodding. He wasn’t sure how bad Arthur had it those two months they were apart, but it was hell for him.

“I want to be with you again, Arthur, if you would have me. I promise to be more open about my feelings and fears, and I promise to talk things through with you instead of jumping to conclusions right away.” Antonio said to him. Arthur smiled a little brighter.

“I would love to have you back, Antonio. I promise to include you in decisions from now on, as well, and to ask your opinion on things beforehand.” Arthur said. Antonio smiled and got up from his spot on the chair, maneuvering around the coffee table to sit beside Arthur on the couch.

“I had really thought it had been my fault, y’know.” Arthur stated. “I blamed myself for this for months. Alfred and Francis were ready to kill you, and I’d never seen Kiku look so angry in all the years I’ve known him.”

Antonio wrapped his arms around Arthur and held him close, breathing in the scent of Arthur’s apple shampoo. Arthur leaned into the embrace, now crying because he missed this, the warmth, the closeness, the smell that was just so distinctly _Antonio_ and nothing but, and most of all, he missed the Spaniard himself. Antonio leaned away and tilted Arthur’s face up to his, placing his hands on the sides of Arthur’s face and brushing away the tears that kept falling with his thumbs.

“It was never your fault. And, I can imagine how angry they must be with me. _I’m_ angry with myself. I’m sorry for hurting you and leaving you all alone like I did.” Antonio apologized once more, smiling sadly at the wet tear tracks on the blonde’s face. Forest green eyes met emerald ones, and soon Antonio was kissing Arthur’s forehead, nose, cheeks, eyelids, anywhere he could reach, before finally placing a butterfly kiss on Arthur’s lips. It was soft and gentle, but hesitant, like he was afraid Arthur would push him back. To his surprise, Arthur kissed back, albeit with the same hesitation. They broke apart and kissed once more, this kiss more confident than the last, and it left them breathless. They had missed each other’s scents, tastes, entire _beings_ , that it was almost a sensory overload for them to be so close after so long. They broke apart once more and leaned their foreheads together, laughing quietly amongst themselves.

Antonio hugged Arthur tight and leaned backwards so they were lying down on the couch. Arthur laid his head against Antonio’s chest, listening to his heartbeat, a sound he missed almost as much as Antonio’s voice. He also missed the strong arms that held him so close, like they were doing just then, and the soft but firm chest he used so many nights as a pillow. Arthur smiled, feeling warm again after so many days and nights of feeling cold.

“I love you, Antonio.” Arthur said to the brunette.

“ _Yo también te amo, Arturo_.” Came the sleepy reply. It was silent for a few moments until Arthur spoke again.

“Francis might be willing to reason with you when I tell him about this, but I suggest you stay away from Alfred for a long time. Kiku, too.” Arthur said.

Antonio laughed, and Arthur felt himself get jostled around because of it. “I know, believe me.” Arthur smiled as he felt the hum in Antonio’s chest from his voice. “I know.”

“Good, because I don’t need to lose you again when I just got you back.” Arthur told Antonio.

“You won’t. I promise. I’m never gonna leave you again.” Antonio squeezed Arthur tight, and Arthur hummed happily.

“Good… that’s good.” Arthur replied, happily enveloped in Antonio's arms like he wished for for so long. They eventually fell asleep like that, and did not wake up until late the next morning. Both decided that it was a good day to take off work and just be absorbed in each other.

**Author's Note:**

> I stayed up all night to write this. its the longest fic ive ever written. enjoy  
> mon copain = my friend (french)  
> lo siento = i'm sorry (spanish)  
> mi amor = my love (spanish)  
> mi cielo = my heaven (spanish) (not sure on this one)  
> Yo también te amo = i love you too (spanish)  
> hola = hello (spanish)  
> arturo = spanish version of Arthur  
> find me at norwaythememelord on tumblr! if you liked this please feel free to shoot me a message saying what you liked about it!  
> inspired by one of katsuriya's posts on tumblr. they're a big source of inspiration and motivation for this fic.


End file.
